Originally Posted by
bbbean
My weight has fluctuated within 5 lbs of 170 for the past 4 years, typically between 168 and 171. But daily swings can be as much as 4 lbs, especially if there was an especially hard workout, a lot of salt or carbs, or alcohol the day before. If I didn't weight on a daily basis, it would be easy to weight one day at 168, and weight in at 172 a few days later and think I was gaining weight. Because I weigh daily (first thing in the morning, in my underwear, after using the bathroom), I can recognize an isolated heavy or light day and I usually have a pretty good idea why I might be on the heavy or light side of average.
Daily weighing also gives me some great data to go back and analyze to see seasonal effects, holiday effects, effects of training and rest, etc.
As a general rule, more consistency and more data points mean I get more useful information. Isolated weigh ins don't tell you much.
I agree. I've never understood how people think that just because weight can fluctuate day-to-day or even during the day, it's somehow an argument in favor of weighing less frequently. That just means you have fewer data points to identify true trends versus noise. A running average based on daily weigh-ins taken in a consistent manner (time of day, etc) will provide the most meaningful data.